Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. This item is unavailable.Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu

Fast hands. Hooking attacks. Relentless combinations. A fighting system supposedly born from watching one of nature’s smallest predators.

Northern Praying Mantis is one of the most distinctive martial arts ever developed in China. Famous for its hooked-hand techniques, rapid combinations, aggressive trapping and mobile footwork, it grew from the martial traditions of Shandong into a kung fu system practised around the world.

But how much of its famous origin story is true? Did the legendary Wang Lang really create a fighting system after watching a praying mantis? What is the mantis hook actually designed to do? And how does Northern Praying Mantis differ from the completely separate martial traditions known as Southern Praying Mantis?

Northern Praying Mantis: 30 Minute Martial Arts takes you inside the history, techniques, training and legends of this fascinating Chinese fighting system.

Discover:

• The legend of Wang Lang and the fighting insect that supposedly inspired him
• How Northern Praying Mantis developed in Shandong
• The secrets of the famous mantis hook
• The Twelve Principles of Mantis fighting
• Fast hands, combinations, footwork, kicks, throws and joint controls
• Seven Star, Plum Blossom, Taiji and Six Harmony Praying Mantis
• Why Northern and Southern Praying Mantis are very different martial arts
• Traditional forms, conditioning and weapons
• The masters who transformed Mantis into an international fighting system
• Challenge fights, iron palms and extraordinary Mantis legends
• How Praying Mantis spread from China to the world
• Whether Northern Praying Mantis can really work in a fight
• How to recognise Mantis techniques when watching them
• How to begin training for yourself

Designed to be read in around 30–45 minutes, this concise guide gives beginners, martial artists and kung fu fans a fast but substantial introduction to one of China's most intriguing fighting traditions.

From the legendary movements of a tiny predator to the rapid hands of modern practitioners, discover the story of Northern Praying Mantis.